Grain-meter



2 Sheets- Sheet 1.. B. I'. WARNER. I

(No Model.)

GRAIN METER.

Patenteww. 29, 1895K.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

^ B. F. WARNER.

' GRAIN METER.

No. 533,255. Patented'JaJn. 29, 1895.

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imitan Freres PATENT BEN F. WARNER, OF HOMER, MICHIGAN.

GRAIN-METER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 533,255, dated January29, 1895. Application led June 13, 1894. Serial No. 514,384. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, BEN F. WARNER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Homer, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Meters, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction of a meter wheel,and device for connecting it with the actuating mechanism automaticallyupon the ingress of sufficient grain into the hopper or casing to insurethe filling of the buckets of the wheel and to automatically stop assoon as the grain lowers.

The invention further consists in thepeculiar construction, combinationand arrangement of the various parts.

In the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of my improved device. Fig.2 is a vertical, central, longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 3 is acentral section through Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an elevation of part ofthemechanism shown in Fig. l, showing the parts in diiferent positions.Fig. 5 lis a diagram elevation of part of a separator, showing myinvention applied thereto. Fig. 6 is a detached perspective View of theparts of the clutch. Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the clutch.

A is the casing or hopper. B is a wall therein forming a hopper at thetop in the discharge of which the meter wheel is located. At the foot ofthe wall B is an adjustable cutoif C having any suitable means ofadjustment to or from the meter wheel, to regulate the fullness of thebuckets. The buckets are formed between radial blades D secured to ashaft D journaled transversely in the casing. On this shaft is sleeved asprocket wheel E adapted to be driven from some continuously.

driven shaft on a separator if it is used thereon, or from any othersuitable source of power.

Secured to the Wheel E, or preferably formed integral therewith is agear wheel F, which meshes with the pinion G journaled on a stub shafton the side of the casing. This pinion has a crank pin G connected bythe pitman G2 to one end of the lever H. This lever has a centralbearing engaging over a pin a. formed at the end of a crank arm b (Fig.2), which crank is formed on or secured to the shaft I extending acrossthe casin g near `the top there- This dog has a tooth or shoulder L,whichA controls a clutch device for connecting and disconnecting thesprocket Wheel to the meter wheel shaft. This clutch I have shown of thefollowing construction:

M is a sleeve fast on the shaft D beside the sprocket wheel E. Thissleeve has an arm M having a lateral pin M2 upon which is pivoted theclutch lever N. This lever at one end has a roller e arranged in liniewith the cam ringfon the inner face of the gear wheel F. v

O is a spring secured to the pin M2 and acting to throw the roller einto engagement with the cam ring.

P is a spring ratchet, engaging a lug on the arm M', to prevent themeter wheel from turning backward.

The parts being thus constructed and arranged, their ope'ration is asfollows: The grain meter is arranged in such proximity to an elevator ora feed spout as to receive the grain in the upper end of the casing. Inthe drawings, I have shown it arranged on a separator to receive thegrain from the elevator P. The sprocket wheel E continuously revolvingwill actuate the gear wheel G and through the pitman G2 will rock thelever H. This lever will normally turn about the pin d as its fulcrum,as the weightof the gravity latch K and the connecting mechanism willoffer more of a resistance" than the rocking of the blades I. Thereforethis blade will be oscillated up and down in the casing as shown indotted and full lines in Fig. l. The grain will first pass into thebuckets of the meter wheel as shown in Fig. 3 and then lill up thehopper or casing until the blade I strikes the top of the grain whichwill prevent its oscillation. When this happens the blade will remainquiet upon the grain, as shown in Fig. 3 and the lever H will rock uponthe IOO pin ct which will be at or near its highest point due to itsoscillation by the previous movement of'the lever H. Now the furthermovenlent of the lever II will withdraw the gravity dog K into theposition shown in Fig. 4, which will disengage the tooth or shoulder Lfrom the lever N. When this happens the spring O will rock the lever inupon its pivot and cause the roller e to engage with the cam-bearing onthe inner face of the gear wheel and cause the lever to move with thatwheel, thereby rotating the meter shaft of the meter wheel. As soon asthe grain lowers in the hopper or casing the blade I willcorrespondingly lower and shift the fulcrum a downward into the positionshown in Fig. l and the lever II will again turn about the fulcrum a"permitting the gravity dog K to move in the path of the lever N whichwill engage therewith and rock the roller e out of engagement with thecam on the gear wheel and thus stop the meter wheel.

By this combination and arrangement of parts it will be seen that themeter wheel will turn once when there is sufficient grain in the hopperor casing to insure that the buckets will be filled. The revolutions ofthe bucket wheel may be counted in any desired manner.

I have shown a crank T at one end of the meter wheel shaft engaged witha register or counter Q on the casing.

R is a curved apron hinged inside the casing beneath the wall B andacting as a valve to close the buckets of the meter during the rst partof the revolution after they are filled so as to prevent their emptyingfrom one side until the other side has passed the cut-off C.

What I claim as my invention isl. In a grain meter, the combination witha hopper, of a revolving meter wheel, means for interrupting themovement of the wheel, mechanism for revolving the wheel, and meansactuated by said revolving mechanism for removing said interruptingmeans, substantially as described.

2. In a grain meter, the combination of a hopper, a meter wheel in thedischarge therefrom, a beater blade in the hopper, connections from thedrive mechanism to said beater blade comprising a rocking lever having achangeable fulcrum, a clutch between the drive mechanism and the meterwheel, and connecting devices between the drive mechanism the beater andthe clutch whereby the clutch is thrown into operation when the beateris stopped by the height of the grain and the clutch is disengaged andthe beater started when the grain lowers, substantially as described.

3. In a grain meter, the combination of the hopper, the meter wheel inthe discharge therefrom, a beater blade in the hopper, a crank on theend of the beater blade shaft, a lever pivoted on the end of said crank,having one arm corresponding in length with the crank, a connecting rodpivoted on one end of the lever extending to a clutch controllingdevice, a drive connection for continuously rocking said lever pivotedto the opposite end thereof and the clutch between the driver mechanismand the meter wheel, controlled by the clutch trip, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a grain meter, the combination with a hopper, of a meter wheeltherein, mechanism for driving the wheel, a beater, and means governedby the beater and actuated by the said driving mechanism for controllingthe movement of the wheel, substantially as described. Y

5. In a grain meter, the combination with a hopper, of a meter wheeltherein, mechanism for rotating the wheel, a lever, a clutch for themechanism, controlling connections from the clutch to the lever, andfrom the lever to the mechanism, and a beater for shifting the fulcrumof the lever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BEN F. WARNER Witnesses:

M. B. ODOGHERTY, O. F. BARTHEL.

